Forever kinda deal
by EvilByNecessity
Summary: Nest drabble. Being alone meant being lonely. His loneliness never hit him until it was gone. And hell, was he glad to be rid of it.


Drabbly Nest Headcanons

Most of whats writen here popped into my head after reading _Make Your Nest and Lay in It _by Silver Inklett Its absolutely brilliant and a must read for Gajevy shippers!

Cheers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

* * *

_He told them to leave before they got hurt._

_They told him not to be stupid._

He'd never really known what it was like to have someone before he met Natsu and Wendy. That's how life had always been. Wendy had had Cat Shelter and Charle and people who loved her. Natsu had had all of Fairy Tail, his family was so large it hurt his head to think about – but Gajeel was alone. No friends or family. Just Gajeel.

And he was okay with that.

Being alone meant that he could just worry about himself and make sure that he got through the day without too much mental or physical damage (though it was hard, being dangerous just to survive). Being alone meant that he had just himself for company. Being alone meant being lonely.

His loneliness never hit him until it was gone.

And hell, was he glad to be rid of it.

He first became family with Natsu through the exchange of blows, the pain of missing a father, and the instinctual _need _for a nest. He became family with Wendy when the small girl was introduced to him, shaking from head to toe, by Levy; when the girl had found out he was a dragon slayer the questions were rapid fire, no time for her to be scared. Before he knew it he was ruffling her hair and kicking Natsu's ass when the flame brain knocked over the littlest slayer.

It was a beautiful friendship, in his opinion. Because every morning he'd wake up, shower, and make his way to the guild. There he'd meet Wendy, she'd smile, and sit with him quietly people watching until Natsu came blundering in. Then they'd go get breakfast.

Gajeel loved the routine.

* * *

_He forgot to tell them to be careful._

_They didn't realize how lost he'd be without them._

"That one looks like a really fat unicorn."

"Or a rhino."

"Well, yes, if you want to be uncreative," Gajeel allowed, shooting him a brief smirk. "There's a dragon."

"I see…Blue Pegasus' Christina" Natsu paused, cocking his head to the side, "oh wait, no. No, it actually looks a bit like you, Wendy."

He shot her a cheeky grin, to which she responded with a calm blink.

"I see Ichiya. Or you," she frowned, seemingly deep in thought, "you're quite similar in appearance."

Natsu gaped while she rewarded him with the same cheeky grin he'd previously used.

"I'll get you for that," he promised.

With a squeal, she shot away from him.

When Gajeel came down, it was to utter chaos – Wendy sprinting though the guild with Natsu chasing after her, both in hysterics.

He shook his head with a 'Gihi', bemused.

He'd never understand those two.

* * *

He'd been scared many times that year – when he'd nearly lost them to that mad king in Edolas, while they were being tortured for their magic. In the attack by Grimoire Heart, he was basically helpless after he was injured fighting for Shorty- but the first time he felt truly hopeless was when he stared up at the approaching figure of Acnologia.

The great Kurogane felt terror like he never had before.

All because he had never seen Fairy Tail so afraid.

* * *

He'd never been more relieved than when they awoke _alive_, watching Wendy run toward him hair streaming behind her like a tumble of leaves, face alight with joy because you they did it, they survived!

"Not without your help" Gajeel had reminded her, pulling away from her enthusiastic hug. She'd merely given him a brilliant smile and went back to work healing the wounded.

And that's when he realized that his nest was as much his family as he was theirs.

Nothing could make him leave them.

* * *

Gajeel was didn't know why he was surprised when Natsu bested the god slayer of his element. But he couldn't have been more proud. Secretly. Though he _was_ shocked and furious when he found out about his recklessness in the fight.

He'd never been prouder of anyone until that moment in his life.

If only he could permanently etch into his memory the look on the look on Makarov's face…

* * *

He asked her why she wasn't mad at him.

She was the only one who understood.

"Sometimes Natsu lets his jealousy blind him," She said gently when Gajeel demanded to know why he was being such an insufferable brat.

"Well, he's reckless and impulsive and annoying."

"Give him time, Gajeel, he'll come around," Wendy said patiently, swinging her legs to an invisible beat in that incredible head of hers as they sat on at the bar in a near empty guild. Sunlight created dancing clouds of dust that looked like glitter in the air, swirling around the two of them under the dying sun. Wendys's hair lit up around her head with a billion tones of varying blue. There was a brief moment of silence while Gajeel tried to name them all.

"What are you staring at?" She finally asked.

"Shh," he murmured, "your hair looks alive."

She punched him in the chest and told him he shouldn't be preaching about messy hair. He had to agree.

* * *

The next morning, all he could see in the clouds were dragons and faeries and a particularly frightening one of him with his head on fire. Natsu informed him that he needed to sleep otherwise his already damaged brain would cease to function altogether.

He thanked him for his unending support and sympathy.

* * *

Every day at breakfast, Natsu would steal his toast.

"Flamebrain!" Gajeel yelped when he first snatched it off his plate, "get the hell off my food!"

"You butter it better than I do." Then he'd give him a big shit eating grin and take a huge bite, forcing him to make another one.

He always grumbled and groaned, but he didn't really mind.

…most of the time.

* * *

He did not approve of Romeos' intentions towards her, though he was better at hiding it than Natsu was. Wendy got scary whenever he brought up either of them so he just dropped it altogether.

He did not, however, stop glaring threateningly at Romeo every time he stared at Wendy.

Even when Wendy noticed and hit him with a book for it.

* * *

He always figured she's stay his little sister forever.

She proved him wrong by learning magics long forgotten and calling ancient beasts back from beyond the grave.

It was official – Wendy Marvel had had done a lot of growing up that year- er seven years. Everyone noticed it. Sure, she was still a soft spoken girl with a heart the size of Fiore– but she'd changed. She'd become a person, someone with beliefs that she wasn't afraid to voice and ideas she wasn't afraid to share.

Gajeel was a bit terrified of her, to be honest.

He'd never realized how much she had in her until she proved unfaltering under the stress and pressure of battle, the danger and pain of her family being threatened and injured, coming back to find out they had missed YEARS. How was she still standing at this point?

Wendy Marvel was so brimming with life sometimes it tended to spill over and she'd plunge herself into something with too much.

He loved that about her. And hated it, too. Gajeel had never known what it was like to both hate and love someone so much with just one puny little heart until he'd met Natsu and Wendy. He realized late one night that it was because they'd become his siblings.

He smiled for days whenever he thought about it.

* * *

Weeks later, before he left with Lily for a long mission, Wendy turned to him and gave him a long hug. She was smiling affectionately when she pulled away, and pulled him_ way_ down so that she could kiss his forehead.

"I'm proud of you, Gajeel," she said.

* * *

"Yeah, well, Lucy's must be an idiot. I'd never date you, no offense. You're my brother."

"Love you, 'dee."

"…I love you too, but don't ever call me that again."

Gajeel watched with a smile.

* * *

He relished in rebellion, Gajeel realized as Natsu's entire face lit up. He liked fighting for a cause, because it gave him purpose in life, something to be passionate about. Gajeel had never noticed how important he could be to anyone until he saw the group of people surrounding him, faces alight, expectation and awe in their expressions.

"You're even more of a rule-breaker than I am!" Natsu exclaimed later that night, confronting him about it.

"Yeah, difference is, he's better at disguising it than you are." Wendy quipped. Gajeel threw in a gloating smile, and Natsu poked her belligerently in the stomach. Her responding poke almost started a full-on war, but Gajeel managed to intervene.

"You don't always get what you want," Gajeel warned him, "no matter how hard you fight for it."

He rolled her eyes, "I only fight for things that I think are worth it."

"And because you hate Gray," Wendy added under his breath.

"Everyone hates Gray," Natsu retorted calmly, "Only Juvia likes Gray, and no one cares about Juvia's opinion."

Gajeel smacked him.

"I'm fighting because I've found a cause," He finished primly.

"And what would that be?" Natsu asked him.

He looked at him. "You," He said simply. "My nests worth fighting for. And I'll fight next for you until the very end, because I believe in it, and you."

* * *

He asked her if she was afraid of him.

She got mad and told him none of it mattered; he was still her brother.

Every morning, she started to greet him with a hug and a bright smile. It didn't matter how grumpy he looked or how upset he looked or if he responded at all.

Gajeel was glad for that. Everyone else was unconsciously avoiding him, but Natsu and Wendy went out of their ways to make sure he understood that nothing had changed, that they were always there for the now iron/shadow dragon slayer.

* * *

Gajeel was bored out of his mind as he sat next to Wendy. Natsu had snuck off with Lucy (again), Wendy was writing (another) healing essay for granny, and Gajeel was sitting there, staring across the guild hall. Wendy sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, slipping the feather of her quill into her mouth. Gajeel pulled it out without looking; she'd already choked on her quill three times and he really wasn't in the mood for a fourth.

"There's sweets in my bag if you want them," he said, still staring at the fight that just broke out, "just don't eat your feather quills."

She muttered something indistinguishable and most probably insulting. He thought he caught a snippet of where she would stick her quills, but he couldn't be sure.

Three seconds later, she uttered a defeated sigh and unfolded herself to grab a candy. He let his gaze wander around the room as she leaned back next to him. It landed on Jet and Levy.

He scowled involuntarily. It seemed as though they were attempting to teach Happy to speak French to woo Charle.

"Is she dating him?" Gajeel asked darkly, flinging his arm in their general direction. "I don't believe it…"

Wendy looked over at him, her eyes gleaming with humor. "Since when did you care about who Levy dates?"

Gajeel immediately dropped his hand and sat upright. "I don't," he said, fixing his eyes on the bar. "I don't care."

"Sure you don't, bro."

"Shut up and write your essay."

* * *

"Just say it, Wendy."

"I wasn't going to say it."

"You were going to say it."

"…I TOLD YOU SO!"

"Yes you did."

"I knew it from the beginning! I told both of you so! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"Okay. That's enough, Wendy."

"I know you better than even you know you, Natsu Dragoneel! How's that for the littlest dragonslayer? I told you – mmph!"

"Natsu, you can't put a girl in a headlock."

"It's alright, Gadget, Wendy doesn't count."

"She's going to hurt you for that, and I will stand by to watch and enjoy every second of it."

"Nah, she – ouch! Ouch, Wendy – gah, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop – woman! This is abuse!"

* * *

At night, she'd whimper in her sleep. Gajeel had no doubts that she was by far the bravest girl he'd ever known –Levy was the fieriest, what with her hair whipping around her like a halo and her endless tenacity– but he felt almost…almost relieved, that even someone like Wendy could be afraid.

He supposed that was a little sick of him, but it was true. It made her seem human, at fault, and of course she had her faults but she always seemed so untouchable. Wendy never needed his help. He'd always needed Wendy's. He didn't know if she knew that though.

And it felt good, that he was able to give something back to her, after everything she'd ever done for him.

"Shh," he murmured, pushing her hair away from her face, "Shh, Wendy, it's okay."

"She's gone," Wendy whimpered, "no…please…stop…wait, please…no, not Gajeel, take me, don't kill Natsu! Stop!"

His heart cracked in two when he realized that her darkest nightmares included his death. To this day it surprised him a bit, that someone could care so much for him, that he could ever be so loved.

He hesitated, glancing at door of her room in his house. Technically, he should be getting much needed sleep for his mission with Levy tomorrow…but what was the damage if he protected his sister tonight?

Before he could change his mind, climbed into her bed with a swift motion, settling against the wall of the let the blanket fall into his lap.

Wendy stiffened at the new presence, but Gajeel gently maneuvered her until she was cradled against his chest, her head in the crook of his shoulder and his neck. Her breath fanned evenly across his skin, and for the first time since Natsu was injured, Wendy didn't cry at night.

She woke up feeling refreshed, and even though she demanded to know why Gajeel had such dark bags under his eyes, he refused to tell her.

A night's loss of sleep was no big deal if she could sleep easy for once.

Besides, she'd probably hit him for being in her bed.

* * *

_She's perfect for you, you know._

He demanded to know how she'd figured out he was in love with Levy.

She said she knew him better than he did – of course she'd figured it out.

* * *

"I'm not upset because of you two."

Gajeel gave her a look, and she bristled. Her lips were tightly pursed as she turned back to the bookshelf, tilting up on her toes in order to reach her book. She grunted in exasperation as her fingers scrabbled short.

Gajeel reached up and pulled it off the shelf for her, but he hid it behind his back before she could tug it out of his hand.

"You went to the party with Romeo, Wendy. You must have expected a… reaction" he said, holding it high over his head. Wendy huffed.

"Natsu went over the top," she commented frostily.

"You hid from us on purpose" he said dubiously. There was a short moment of silence while Wendy tilted her head to acknowledge this very true bit of information.

"Did he manage to kiss you?" Gajeel finally asked. He hoped she didn't hear the underlying dangerous tone in his voice. She'd probably smack him and tell him to stop being overprotective for one minute of his life; she could take care of herself, thank you very much.

"He tried," Wendy said idly, turning back to the bookshelf and searching for another book.

"And…?"

"And nothing. Cana threw an empty barrel and it smashed right at our feet. Kinda ruined the mood."

Gajeel couldn't help but send a silent thank you to Cana's alcoholism.

"What did Romeo do?" he asked.

Wendy rolled her eyes, "He didn't do anything. Now give me that book, I have find the right mixture."

* * *

He focused on Levy when the time came. The way her hair felt against his hands, the way her eyes lit up when she talked, that little smirk she'd get on her face when she was saying something witty. The expression of tenderness that seeped out from her eyes. How beautiful she was to him, all of the time.

But in the last second, he remembered Natsu and Wendy, his family. His brother and his sister, and the way they were always there for him even when the rest of the world wasn't. To them, he wasn't the Black Steel or Phantom/Fairy Tails Kurogane…he was just Gajeel. Just Gajeel, my brother.

And his heart swelled as the flash of light hit his eyes. The last beat of his heart was for those he loved.

* * *

_They grew old together._

_It was perfect._

Every Valentine's day, Gajeel would buy three roses. A red one for his wife, Levy. A white one for his daughter, Fae. And a yellow one for his sister, Wendy.

Every Christmas Eve, he'd go to with Natsu to the last place he saw Igneel. No one was allowed to go with them except Wendy. She was the only one who understood. And who brought flowers… for reasons none of them ever voiced out loud.

* * *

"He's actually calling our friendship a bromance?!"

"Yeah – pretty funny, actually."

"Funny?! Funny – oh, that's it. I'm going to complete the job Rouge failed to do."

"Wendy—?"

"Natsu Dragoneel! I am not your 'bro' – I am a freaking female, in case it's escaped your attention all these years!"

* * *

With them, it was a forever kind of deal.

And Gajeel. was happy with that.

* * *

**Please review! I besiege you! :3**


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